Assad to RT: 'I'm not Western puppet - I have to live and die in Syria'

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Thursday November 08, 2012 15:01

by Elric

Vid at link. Full interview on Friday on RT.
In an exclusive interview with RT, Syrian President Bashar Assad said he will not leave Syria. Assad also spoke on the calls for armed foreign intervention in Syria, and the possible fallout on the country’s internal conflict and across the region.

“We are the last stronghold of secularism and stability in the region and coexistence, let’s say, it will have a domino effect that will affect the world from the Atlantic to the Pacific and you know the implication on the rest of the world,” Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad told RT in an exclusive interview that will air on Friday, November 9.

“I am not a puppet. I was not made by the West to go to the West or to any other country,” he said. “I am Syrian, I was made in Syria, I have to live in Syria and die in Syria,” Assad said during the interview.

Syria has been wracked by internal violence for the past 20 months. With the government and opposition failing to reach an agreement on a ceasefire, foreign nations are pressuring the Syrian president to step down, with some even calling for armed intervention in the war-torn country.

“I do not think the West is going [to intervene], but if they do so, nobody can tell what is next,” Assad said. “I think the price of this [foreign] invasion if it happened is going to be more than the whole world can afford.”

According to a Turkish official, Ankara has officially requested that NATO deploy Patriot missiles along the border with Syria, over fears that armed conflict could spill across the border.

The armed conflict in Syria has turned increasingly violent in recent months. Rebel forces have received significant financial, diplomatic and organizational support from countries like the US and Western-allied nations such as Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

However, the opposition has yet to overcome infighting and form a united government. The rebels’ Western allies have also become concerned by signs that radical Islamists are gaining strength and influence within the opposition.

You can watch the Syrian president’s interview in full on Friday on RT.

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Full Interview Vid & Transcript.

Sun Nov 11, 2012 19:29

Full transcript at link.

Russia Today's Sophie Shevardnadze recently interviewed Syria 's president Bashar Assad in Damascus . Following is the interview * , which has been slightly shortened without distorting Assad's arguments:

RT: [M]any people […] were convinced a year ago that you would not make it this far. Here again you are sitting in a newly renovated presidential palace and recording this interview. Who exactly is your enemy at this point?

BA: My enemy is terrorism and instability in Syria . This is our enemy in Syria . It is not about the people, it is not about persons. The whole issue is not about me staying or leaving. It is about the country being safe or not. So, this is the enemy we have been fighting as Syria .

RT: I have been here for the last two days and I had the chance to talk to a couple of people in Damascus . Some of them say that whether you stay or go at this point does not really matter anymore. What do you say about this?

BA: I think for the president to stay or leave is a popular issue. It is related to the opinion of some people and the only way can be done through the ballot boxes. So, it is not about what we hear. It is about what we can get through that box and that box will tell any president to stay or leave very simply.

RT: I think what they meant was that at this point you are not the target anymore; Syria is the target.

BA: I was not the target; I was not the problem anyway. The West creates enemies; in the past it was the communism then it became Islam, and then it became Saddam Hussein for a different reason. Now, they want to create a new enemy represented by Bashar. That's why they say that the problem is the president so he has to leave. That is why we have to focus of the real problem, not to waste our time listening to what they say.

RT: Do you personally still believe that you are the only man who can hold Syria together and the only man who can put an end to what the world calls a ‘civil war'?

BA: We have to look at it from two aspects. The first aspect is the constitution and I have my authority under the constitution. According to this authority and the constitution, I have to be able to solve the problem. But if we mean it that you do not have any other Syrian who can be a president, no, any Syrian could be a president. We have many Syrians who are eligible to be in that position. You cannot always link the whole country only to one person.

RT: But you are fighting for your country. Do you believe that you are the man who can put an end to the conflict and restore peace?

BA: I have to be the man who can do that and I hope so, but it is not about the power of the President; it is about the whole society. We have to be precise about this. The president cannot do anything without the institutions and without the support of the people. So, the fight now is not a President's fight; it is Syrians' fight. Every Syrian is involved in defending his country now.

Caption: Video Id: pdH4JKjVRyA Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video

Excellent Interview

by An Draighneán Donn - Páirtí Cummanach na Poblachta

Sun Nov 11, 2012 19:39

What a breath of fresh air from the sickness and servility of RTÉ and the rest of the imperialist media lickspittles and running dogs. Al-Assad came across as a very honest man, who cares deeply for the people of Syria, and for the whole region. Well done RT, and Sophie Shevardnadze.

True

by Des - None

Mon Nov 12, 2012 14:06

Assad is not a western stooge, if he was I doubt if Washington and Brussels would be involved in another attempt at regime change. The people should be left alone to solve their problems. Back in dear old Irlande, It is good to know that our Comrade Gilmore is following the (Washington) party line. What would Cde. Stalin say?

Eamonn Gilmore Volunteers for Active Service with FSA

by An Draighneán Donn

Mon Nov 12, 2012 18:54

Eamonn Gilmore - Apostle to the Idiots. He makes the blind walk and the lame see. Will he face the Syrian Army in act? Of course not, he will skulk and snipe from underneath Hilary Clinton's skirt.

The Usual.

by Wannabe Emperor.

Mon Nov 12, 2012 23:21

Dictators usually die under the pile of dead bodies they create to eke out that last few minutes of survival.

Hopefully Wannabe Emperors Obama and Cameron will soon face the Peoples Justice

Tue Nov 13, 2012 03:12

Sad that there are some foolish people still trying to say that President Bashar al-Assad is a dictator. He is anything but a dictator. The Syrian people voted on a new Constitution. A bigger percentage of the the people voted for that Constitution than voted for Obama as President of the USA. Part of the constitutional arrangements is that al-Assad will remain President until 2014, when Presidential elections will be held.

The reason the USA and its lapdogs are so desperate to destroy the Syrian state is that democracy is the last thing they want in Syria. They want to impose their Muslim Brotherhood puppets, as they did in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia.

Britain Plans Intervention In Syria

Tue Nov 13, 2012 18:21

General Sir David Richards, the UK’s most senior general, said Britain had in place contingency plans for a “very limited” response in the case of a worsening humanitarian situation in Syria within the next few months. He added that there could be British troops posted in countries neighboring Syria. Phillip Hammond, the UK Defense Secretary, also confirmed that the UK had not ruled out military intervention ...

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Assad to RT: 'I'm not Western puppet - I have to live and die in Syria'

Comments (7 of 7)